Halobacterium salinarum is a salt-loving microscopic archaeon whose cells can appear rod-shaped and reddish owing to carotenoid pigments. In studied strains, gas vesicles form inside the cells whose shape varies from spindle-shaped to cylindrical depending on the genetic group, so the internal form of a single strain must not be generalised to the whole species.
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Halobacterium salinarum produces protein gas vesicles that make its cells more buoyant, so they move vertically in the water to the levels of light and oxygen that suit them best.
Approved version OWNER-REVIEW-20261022T140330011 · last approved 22 October 2026
Halobacterium salinarum can generate energy by respiration, by light, or by fermenting the amino acid arginine.
Halobacterium salinarum is best known for bacteriorhodopsin, a light-driven proton pump that gives it a form of photosynthesis without chlorophyll; it forms purple patches in its cell membrane.
